


The Nanny and The Gardener

by Hellfire_and_roses



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Gen, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, Other, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-09-06 08:11:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20288251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hellfire_and_roses/pseuds/Hellfire_and_roses
Summary: Mrs Dowling watches. And she sees.





	The Nanny and The Gardener

“Mommy, did Brother Francis used to be handsome?”

Harriet Dowling choked slightly on her gin and tonic and stared at her son, eyebrow raised.

“Warlock! Why would you ask something like that? Brother Francis is still…erm…well, he’s a very nice man.”

“But did he used to be _handsome_? Because he isn’t _now_.”

“Warlock!”

“But it’s the truth!”

“You mustn’t say things like that, darling, you’ll hurt his feelings.”

“Nanny says we must always tell the truth, _especially_ if it hurts people.”

“Now Warlock, don’t be silly.” Mrs Dowling scolded. “I’m sure that’s not what she said. After lunch you go and ask her and she’ll tell you how you misunderstood.”

“Yes Mommy.” Warlock grumbled. “But Mommy – _did_ he?”

“Brother Francis has looked the same as long as Mommy has known him.” She said firmly. “Where is this coming from anyway?”

“Cook said to Nancy that she thought he did, else why would Nanny be so potty about him?”

“Wait, Nanny? What’s she got to do with this?” Mrs Dowling frowned.

“Cook says Nanny watches him. She said she thinks Nanny followed him here.”

“And she said this in front of you, did she?”

Warlock looked guilty. “…I was hiding under the kitchen table.”

“Yes, well. Don’t repeat things you overhear. We’ll hear no more about this, thank you.” She shook her head, taking another sip of G&T. Honestly. Nanny Ashtoreth potty about funny little Brother Francis? He was a lovely man and very good at his job, even if he didn’t seem to be (Mrs Dowling had tried to engage him in conversation about her roses and had come away with the distinct impression that the man didn’t know the slightest thing about gardening; but the garden continued to flourish so she supposed maybe he just wasn’t the talkative kind) but he wasn't exactly desirable. The idea was absurd. Ms Ashtoreth wasn’t traditionally _beautiful_ by anyone’s standards but there was a certain alluring sensuality to her, one that had Mrs Dowling’s girlfriends raising their eyebrows and asking just who had appointed the nanny, her or Thaddeus. She could definitely do better than Brother Francis.

So the first time Mrs Dowling saw Nanny Ashtoreth watching Brother Francis came as quite a surprise. The gardener was pattering about, seemingly talking to some of the flowers and Nanny Ashtoreth was watching him from the other side of the lawn. The look of unconcealed, unabashed _longing_ in that look made Mrs Dowling feel quite flustered, as if she’d intruded on something private. She’d looked away hurriedly, feeling a surge of pity for the poor woman. Harriet Dowling knew unrequited love, and clearly Ms Ashtoreth had it bad. She supposed Brother Francis did have lovely eyes, perhaps that was it? It was so easy for fall for a lovely pair of eyes.

What made it feel even more terribly sad was the moment she saw Brother Frances watching Nanny Ashtoreth as she sat with Warlock on the lawn. He looked at her the same way she looked at him. Before she could second guess herself, Mrs Dowling found herself crossing the garden to talk to him. He looked up.

“Ah, m’lady. The roses are looking fine.”

“They’re not the only things.” She said meaningfully, glancing pointedly at Nanny Ashtoreth. Brother Frances smiled ruefully.

“Ah.”

“You watch her.”

“Well, I…”

“She watches you, too.”

For a second, his face seemed to…_slip_. And for the first time Harriet Dowling saw beyond the terrible mutton chops, and the bad teeth, and the sun-damaged skin. She saw only his brilliant blue eyes and his love. _Oh_, she thought, _you are handsome, aren’t you?_

Then Brother Francis smiled again, and this one was full of sorrow. “Yes.” He said quietly, his eyes going once again to Nanny Ashtoreth. “Yes, I suppose she does.”

“If you don’t mind my asking…is there a reason you can’t be together?”

Brother Francis spread his hands wide. “God. Heaven. It just…well. Can’t be.”

Religious reasons, then. How deeply upsetting. Mrs Dowling nodded, not wishing to pry further. But she still watched. She watched the short exchanges, the looks, the brief touches. She watched lingering glances and the almost stolen moments when Warlock was busy playing. And as the years passed; she noticed something. She noticed the exchanges get longer and friendlier. She noticed them laugh together. She noticed the days off begin to coincide.

And when she came home one day to find Nanny Ashtoreth’s letter of resignation on her desk and the woman herself nowhere to be found, she wasn’t entirely surprised to notice that Brother Francis had gone as well. They must have left together.

She did hope so.

They _should_ be together.

Heaven be damned.


End file.
